The Choice
by bbtfan
Summary: A disagreement between Leonard, Sheldon, and Penny leads to a horrifying event, which ultimately brings Penny closer to one of them. Who does she end up with? The characters say Leonard and Penny, but it's actually Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny.
1. Chapter 1: The Disagreement

The Choice

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Disclaimer: I don't any of these characters or the show.

Note: I apologize ahead of time, I have absolutely no writing skills whatsoever, but I am just such a fan of this show that I wanted to share a fan fiction with you. Reviews with any constructive criticism would be nice, seeing as I probably need it. I tried as hard as I could to keep these guys in character, but it was pretty hard. Anything you guys tell me, I'll be sure to consider in future chapters. I hope you enjoy it!

**A/N: I finally finished editing all these chapters. I put them in the proper dialogue format, but not much has changed. I just added maybe a few words here or there so the dialogue format worked. You can reread it if you want, but it's not necessary. And I sincerely apologize for the long delay in updating. I'm working on the last chapter right now. It's very, very long, which is why it's taking so long to update. But hopefully it will be up soon. Thanks for being patient!**

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It was a bright and sunny Friday afternoon, and Leonard and Sheldon were driving back to the apartment after a long day of working.

"Nitrogen," said Leonard.

"Nickel," Sheldon said with confidence.

"Lithium."

"Manganese."

Leonard paused. "Uhh…"

"Time's up!"

Leonard looked at Sheldon. "Wait, what do you mean 'time's up'? Since when have we had a time limit?"

"Since you've taken too long to answer. You know, you could have said Einsteinium, or Europium, or…"

Leonard cut Sheldon off. "All right! I get it, Sheldon."

"…Erbium."

Leonard glared at Sheldon.

"You start this time," said Sheldon.

Leonard was a little reluctant, but gave in. "Uh, all right. Iron."

"Magnesium."

"Mercu—wait. Iron ends with an 'N!'" protested Leonard.

"True, but iron is also called ferrum," Sheldon shot back.

"Now we have an alternate-names rule?"

"Well, I thought it was implied…But if you want to discuss the rules further, maybe we could have a meeting," Sheldon replied.

"Never mind, we're home."

Leonard parked his car and they both stepped out. Leonard was feeling a little "nauseated," as Sheldon would say, from driving, thinking of elements, and arguing with Sheldon all at once. But he was looking forward to seeing Penny and immediately forgot about his nausea.

As they walked up the stairs, Sheldon and Leonard went over their typical work encounters and tribulations.

Leonard was trying to reason with Sheldon. "I'm just saying, Sheldon, writing a letter to the cafeteria saying their food is not like "Matrix food" isn't going to help make the meals better."

"Why not? They should be able to easily conclude, from my superior yet simple letter, that their meals are lacking in the taste department and they should make the obvious decision to serve food that is up to par with Matrix standards."

Leonard sighed and shook his head as they continued up the stairs.

As Leonard was opening the door to their apartment, Penny opened her door.

"Hi, Leonard. Hi, Sheldon," chirped Penny.

Sheldon smiled. "Hello, Penny."

Leonard turned around and looked at her. "Hi, Penny, how are y—"

Just before Leonard was able to finish the rest of his question, Kurt stepped out of Penny's apartment. Leonard flinched and Sheldon subtly stepped behind Leonard.

Leonard pulled his hand away from the door and faced Kurt. "…uh, h-hi Kurt. Nice to see you again."

"What's up, Lenny?"

"It's Leonard, but that's okay. Um, P-Penny, what's…?" Leonard looked at Penny with confusion.

Penny smiled at Leonard as she closed her apartment door. "Oh, we're just going out on a date."

Leonard's heart dropped a little. "A date? I thought…"

Leonard paused.

"What?" asked Penny.

Sheldon chimed in. "He thought that you were smart enough to not make the mistake of going out with Kurt again."

Leonard turned and yelled, "Sheldon!"

Kurt glared at Sheldon and Leonard.

Penny was hurt. "Excuse me?"

Leonard tried to smile. "He didn't mean it."

Sheldon glanced at Leonard, confused. "Of course I did. You said those exact words to me the other day."

Leonard looked at the ground. He knew this whole situation had already blown up in his face and did not feel the need to add to the disaster.

Penny asked softly, "Leonard, why would you say that?"

Leonard was uncomfortable and fell silent. "I…um."

Kurt shot back at Leonard and told Penny, "Just ignore them, babe. You're plenty smart, you should know that."

Leonard looked up at Kurt, getting angry at Kurt for lying to her like that.

Penny smiled sweetly at Kurt. "Aw, honey, thank you. Leonard, you should be ashamed of yourself. Why can't you be kind like Kurt?"

Leonard just about exploded.

"Why can't _I_ be kind like _Kurt_?!" Leonard was getting furious. "Penny! Do you see how he's manipulating you?! He's lying! He'll just dump you like he did all the other times! Do you really want to feel worthless again?! Why can't you learn?! What's wrong with you?!"

Penny was utterly shocked at Leonard's sudden anger. She'd never seen him get so mad. But his words irked her.

"How dare you. You know what, Leonard? I don't need someone like you getting between me and my boyfriends. You can just leave the ungrateful piece of crap that you are in your own apartment, away from me."

"Gladly."

Penny scoffed.

Leonard was practically steaming. He didn't even hear the words that were coming out of his mouth. He started to feel lightheaded and dizzy and thought he was going to pass out in front of everybody. It was like he had absolutely no control over his body anymore. He was breathing hard and his heart was pounding right through his chest. Leonard felt his stomach churning and wanted to throw up. In response, he swallowed the thick saliva building up in his mouth. He was having a panic attack, but clenched his jaw in an attempt to muffle the panic and nausea overcoming him.

Sheldon, standing behind Leonard, was getting scared. He hardly ever saw Leonard get into verbal fights this massive. He saw Leonard moving back and forth and thought Leonard was going to fall. He became wary of the weakness in Leonard's legs at this point. Sheldon kept his arms in front of him to catch Leonard in case he unexpectedly collapsed. He wanted so badly to step in and stop this whole mess. But for once, he saw Leonard's side of the story and saw how much he was hurt by seeing Penny with Kurt.

Sheldon had to say something. "Penny, don't be so mean to Leonard."

Penny shot back. "What?! Sheldon, don't you see what Leonard's saying to me?!" Penny was starting to turn on Sheldon, too. "Why do you always have to take Leonard's side? Because he's your friend? Because he's your roommate? As smart as you claim to be, Sheldon, you can be a real idiot sometimes."

Sheldon felt like he was hit with a baseball bat. No one had ever called him an "idiot" before simply because he was stating his opinion. Sure, they called him "annoying," but they never spat out words that questioned his intelligence. His voice quivered with increasing anger.

"Penny, I was simply stating what I thought of this whole situation. I did not side with Leonard because he is my best friend. That has nothing to do with my opinions. Granted, if I took your side, Penny, Leonard would probably never speak to me again, never drive me again, and never buy food for me again. But in this case, Leonard's friendship with me has absolutely nothing to do with this particular situation. And if you think otherwise, I'm afraid I shall become _very_ angry."

Sheldon tried as hard as he could to keep calm.

"Oh, yeah right! You're both complete morons, not to mention absolutely pathetic, with your ridiculous geeky video games and comic books and action figures."

Penny realized that her sheer anger was making her say things she didn't mean. Really, she didn't mind the video games and comic books. Penny was baffled as to how anger could turn her against her best friends.

Sheldon couldn't take it anymore. "All right, that's _it_. Penny, I will not tolerate your impaired and, for lack of a better word, _stupid_ words that you are currently relaying to Leonard and me. I don't appreciate your inability to understand our side of the story. As a female individual, I would think that you'd be more understanding of these kinds of situations, but apparently I was mistaken."

"Ugh. Stay away from me, both of you!" yelled Penny.

Penny grabbed Kurt's hand and stormed off, down the stairs.

Leonard felt his legs getting weaker and weaker. His head was pounding and everything got blurry, like he suddenly lost his glasses. Just as Sheldon was asking if Leonard was okay, everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2: Road to Disaster

Thanks for the reviews guys, I really appreciate it. Sorry it took so long for the new chapter. I'll update the story a lot more often now. Again, I don't own any of these characters or the show, I'm just a fan.

I feel like this chapter got a little overly-dramatic. But I'll leave it up to you, feedback would be great!! I read it over a few times, so I hope there's no grammatical errors or anything. I encourage you all to stick with me and keep reading, it would mean a lot to me!

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Sheldon's reflexes kicked in just as Leonard was falling. He slowly set him down on the ground as he pondered his next move. He stood next to a limp and lifeless Leonard and stared down at him. Sheldon calculated the amount of strength it would take to get an individual nine inches shorter than himself through their apartment and onto the couch. He bent over and took off Leonard's glasses, to keep them from getting damaged, and set them down on the coffee table. He rushed back outside and got down on his knees, next to his roommate. Sheldon tugged once on Leonard's jacket and gave up.

"He's simply much too heavy for my lack of upper body strength."

Sheldon concentrated on how to drag Leonard into the apartment. For now, he had to focus on getting this ball of Leonard into the apartment so people who came up the stairs wouldn't encounter Sheldon helplessly tugging on Leonard's arm. He would have to worry about getting Leonard on the couch much later. Sheldon sat next to his friend, going over various scenarios. Maybe he could get Leonard on some wagon and roll him in? Or get him on a rug and drag him in? "Well, that would certainly lessen the amount of strength required," thought Sheldon. Until it dawned on him: three pairs of arms are better than one. He took out his phone and called Howard.

"Hello, Howard?"

Over the phone, Howard replied, "What is it, Sheldon?"

"Is Raj there by any chance?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need yours and Raj's help."

"For what?"

"Dragging Leonard inside."

Howard paused. "What?"

"I need your help to drag, or if we can, carry, Leonard into the apartment and get him on the couch."

Howard was confused. "...what the hell happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Just come."

Howard and Raj arrived at the apartment to find Sheldon sitting cross-legged in front of the apartment door and Leonard, on the ground, looking like he was suddenly hit with a sleep attack.

"What the…? Is he okay? What happened?" Howard frantically asked.

Sheldon sat up. "It's kind of a long story. I'll tell you later, but we need to get Leonard inside."

Raj stared down at Leonard and looked at Sheldon. "How?"

"Don't ask me. I've been sitting here this whole time trying to think of something. Don't you have any ideas?"

Howard stared at Sheldon before sarcastically replying, "Shouldn't we try, I don't know, carrying him in?"

"Well, all right," replied Sheldon with a sigh.

Sheldon got up and put Leonard's arm over his shoulder, as Howard did the same with Leonard's other arm.

Howard struggled under Leonard's weight. "Man, he's heavy."

Raj scoffed. "No, he isn't. Don't be such a wimp."

"Easy for you to say, you're not even helping!" Howard shot back.

Howard and Sheldon managed to get Leonard onto the couch without dropping him or inflicting more damage.

Raj fixed a pillow under Leonard's head. "So, Sheldon, what happened?"

Sheldon straightened up before replying. "Well, I'll give you the short version of the story. Penny and Kurt."

"Oh, man," sighed Howard.

Raj sat on the ground, next to the couch. "And Leonard snapped?"

"Yes, that sounds about right. Snapped, exploded, blew up like a volcano, however you want to say it, that's what happened."

Howard, Raj, and Sheldon continued to talk as they waited for Leonard to recover from his fainting spell.

…

Leonard opened his eyes and all he could see was one big blur. He still felt slightly nauseated and dizzy. He was lying on the couch and could only assume that something bad must have happened, since he didn't remember falling asleep. Leonard heard a few distinct voices floating around him that sounded vaguely familiar.

Howard saw Leonard moving on the couch. "Hey, he's up."

Sheldon quickly got up and walked over to him. "Leonard? Are you okay?"

The voice sounded like Sheldon. Leonard saw a blue and brown blur hover over him. In an attempt to see who this person was, he squinted. Until he realized he wasn't even wearing his glasses.

"Sheldon…where are my glasses?"

"Oh, I apologize. Here." Sheldon grabbed his glasses from the coffee table.

He held Leonard's glasses in front of him. Leonard picked up his hand, which felt unusually heavy, and grabbed the black blur, which he assumed was his glasses. Instead of getting his glasses, Leonard succeeded in grabbing Sheldon's wrist.

Leonard quickly pulled back. "Oh, sorry, Sheldon. I can't see anything…"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot. Here you go." Sheldon was still worried about Leonard that he couldn't even think straight.

Sheldon put the glasses in Leonard's hand and Leonard proceeded to put them on his face.

"Dude, how do you feel?" asked Raj.

Leonard sat up. "Like total crap. What happened?"

Sheldon sat in his spot, next to Leonard, and proceeded to explain. "You blacked out after Penny left. I caught you just before you hit the ground, so I practically saved you from a concussion." He paused. "You're welcome."

Leonard looked over at Sheldon, confused. "Um, thanks?"

Leonard had no idea what to say, considering he couldn't even remember what happened.

Pointing to Howard and Raj, Sheldon said, "You should also thank Howard and Raj. I called them to help carry you inside because I couldn't do so by myself."

Leonard smiled at his two other friends. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." He was still puzzled. "So…why did I pass out?"

Sheldon started to worry again. "You mean…you don't remember?"

Howard, Sheldon, and Raj all looked at Leonard, as Leonard innocently stared back at them.

"Uh…I don't remember anything."

"What's the last thing you remember?" asked Sheldon.

Leonard thought long and hard before he answered.

"Walking up the stairs and putting the key into the apartment door. And for some reason, I got really mad about something. That's about it…"

Howard looked concerned. "Don't tell me he's got amnesia."

Sheldon shook his head. "Not likely. He didn't hit his head. I was right there, I caught him."

"That doesn't explain why he can't remember…"

Leonard spoke up. "Okay, can someone _please_ tell me what happened? Maybe if you tell me, I'll remember."

Sheldon panicked a little about retelling the incident, seeing how Leonard reacted the first time. But he refused to lie.

Uneasily, Sheldon replied, "Umm…okay. You, er—we, got into a fight with Penny. Kurt was there…"

Leonard gasped for breath and suddenly he remembered. He felt that same wave of panic and hysteria start to overcome him. Sheldon noticed that Leonard was turning red and stopped him before he descended into another panic attack.

"Leonard! Calm down. I'm assuming from your sudden reaction and shade of red that overcame your face, that you remember now?"

Leonard nodded slightly, feeling like he was about to pass out again. Howard walked to the refrigerator and brought Leonard a bottle of water. Raj and Sheldon continued talking to Leonard, to keep him from blacking out again.

Raj put his hand on Leonard's shoulder. "Leonard, don't worry about it."

But Leonard was already freaking out. "Don't worry about it?! I yelled at Penny and said things that I didn't even mean. And now she may never talk to me again." Leonard realized something. "Oh, crap. Sheldon, you told Howard and Raj what happened?"

"Well, that certainly was a delayed reaction. But yes, I did. Why? Was that not the right thing to do?"

Leonard looked at his friend. "Well…I don't know." He sighed, ready to give up. "I guess I'm just embarrassed by what happened. I really didn't mean to yell at her, you guys know that."

Leonard gulped down some water before putting head down in his hands and closing his eyes. He was wishing that it was all a nightmare.

"Listen, why don't you just go to the comic book store or something? Maybe you'll feel better," said Howard.

Sheldon smiled in approval. "That sounds like a great idea. I'll go with you."

Leonard remembered what Penny said earlier. "ridiculous geeky video games and comic books and action figures."

"I don't feel like going to the comic book store," replied Leonard.

Sheldon tried to persuade him. "Oh, come on. It always makes _me_ feel better." Leonard stayed silent. "I'll buy you a comic book…please, Leonard?"

Leonard realized he was upsetting Sheldon. He felt guilty because Sheldon shouldn't have been dragged into all this. Leonard looked up at his friend.

"Okay. We'll go to the comic book store."

Raj stood up. "Yeah, you should do that. Sorry Leonard, but Howard and I can't go with you. We were planning on going to the store to pick up some stuff for Howard's little Vespa."

Howard glared at him. "It's not a _little_ Vespa."

"Whatever, dude. Anyway, sorry Leonard."

"It's okay, guys. I'll just go with Sheldon."

Howard and Raj left for the store while Leonard and Sheldon got into the car. Leonard started the engine. Sheldon was still worried about his friend.

"Leonard, will you be okay with driving?"

"Sure, I'll be fine." _"I hope," thought Leonard._

Leonard and Sheldon were halfway to the comic book store when Leonard started thinking about what happened. He replayed the scene in front of his apartment over and over again. He couldn't stop hearing Penny's words: "stay away from me." Meanwhile, Sheldon noticed Leonard's devastation over the whole situation and tried to make him think about something else.

Sheldon attempted to smile. "Leonard, would you like to play a game?"

Leonard didn't respond. He couldn't hear anything other than Penny's words: "stay away from me." Her words seemed to get louder and louder, drowning out Sheldon and the sound of traffic around him.

"Leonard? …Leonard?"

Leonard stared blankly in front of him, his hands gripping the steering wheel. Leonard felt his foot feel heavier and heavier, but didn't notice that he was accelerating at a rapid speed.

Sheldon started getting nervous. "Leonard…you're going really fast." He gripped the edge of his seat and looked at Leonard. "Please slow down. …Leonard?"

It all happened in a matter of seconds. Leonard hadn't noticed that the light had turned red. All he saw was Penny and Kurt in front of him. Penny and Kurt coming out of her apartment. Penny yelling at Leonard. Penny grabbing Kurt's hand. Penny leaving and everything turning black. He drove right through the intersection, heading for disaster.

"LEONARD!! STOP!!"

Just then, Leonard snapped back into reality, only to see his car heading for another. His foot hadn't even touched the brake before the two cars collided into a mess of glass and metal. Leonard and Sheldon were knocked out instantly.


	3. Chapter 3: Unknown Fear

A mob of people collected around the two cars. It was like a sequence that appeared in some disaster movie. Leonard's car was smashed in the front, the windshield almost completely shattered. Leonard had a stream of blood running down the side of his face and his clothes were stained with blood. Bits of glass were cutting his hands and staining his pants. Sheldon was slumped over in his seat, and he was donning a cut across his forehead that spilled blood all over his face. The other car was smashed in on the passenger's side, leaving the driver nearly unharmed. She got out of the car and rushed over to Leonard's car to see if they needed help. She was concerned for the lives of these two innocent-looking men in the car, even if the accident wasn't her fault. Bystanders had called for an ambulance and several people rushed over to the cars to see if they could be of any help.

Three ambulances arrived in a matter of seconds. Leonard and Sheldon were carefully taken out of the car as the other driver was looked at by paramedics.

A group of EMTs carefully wiped the blood from Leonard's and Sheldon's faces before they were taken to the hospital.

In the ambulance, a paramedic looked at both Leonard's and Sheldon's wallets to identify who they were and took out Leonard's phone to call someone who could come to the hospital.

He looked at Leonard's iPhone and checked the speed dial list. The first name on the list he encountered was Penny. In hopes that "Penny" was maybe his wife or girlfriend, he called the number.

Penny was in the middle of her date with Kurt when her phone started ringing.

"Oh, excuse me, I'm getting a call." She looked at the screen and saw "Leonard Hofstadter." "Ugh. Why is _Leonard_ calling me?"

She was about to accept the call before Kurt stopped her.

"Just ignore him. He's probably going to say how 'stupid' you were back there and make you apologize to him."

The phone was still ringing in Penny's hand. "But…but Leonard wouldn't do that. Would he?"

Penny knew that Leonard had never been insensitive to her. Why would he start now? But then again, he did say those things about her not being smart for choosing Kurt. And he was wrong, wasn't he? I mean, look at how sweet Kurt is being right now!

"Trust me. He's a total moron. Let's just get back to our date, babe."

"Umm, ok," Penny replied. She was reluctant at first, but accepted Kurt's opinion.

She smiled at him before putting the phone back into her purse.

The call went to voicemail and the paramedic had no choice but to hang up and call someone else.

The second person on Leonard's speed dial was Sheldon, so he moved on to the third, "Howard."

Howard and Raj were in the store looking at designs that Howard could use to "pimp up his Vespa."

He picked up a cool, fiery design.

"Hey, how's this?"

Raj looked over Howard's shoulder. "Hmm, not bad."

Howard's phone rang and he picked it up, seeing Leonard's name on the screen.

"Hey, Leonard, what's up? You feeling better yet?"

A strange voice came over the phone. "Mr. Howard Wolowitz?"

"Uhh…yes? Who is this? And why do you have Leonard's phone?" Howard was confused.

"I'm Edward, a paramedic. Leonard was in a car accident."

Howard dropped the design he was holding. He was struck with fear for his friend.

"Uhh, w-what? I-I'm sorry? What did you just say?"

"He was in a car accident. Leonard is seriously injured right now. I'm assuming you know Sheldon, too?"

"Oh, god." He remembered Sheldon was in the car too. "Um, y-yes. Yes, I do know Sheldon. What…hap—uh, what…" His voice started to quiver. Raj looked at him with concern. "Ar-are they okay?"

"I'm afraid we don't know that right now. They're in the ambulance and we're heading to the hospital. Can you come?"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be right there," Howard quickly replied.

Howard hung up the phone and slowly put it back in his pocket.

Raj knew something terrible happened, and was scared to ask. "What's going on?"

Howard seemed to be staring at nothing. "Leonard and Sheldon were in a car accident." Raj felt his stomach jump up into his throat. He was at a complete loss of words. "We need to go to the hospital."

In the emergency room, Leonard and Sheldon were put on beds as nurses cleaned up their faces as best they could before applying new bandages to the cuts on their heads. Sheldon had to get five stitches for the cut across his forehead before he was bandaged. The two of them were inspected carefully for any other injuries.

Howard and Raj ran into the hospital, both in a state of panic and fear.

"Excuse me, where can I find Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper?" Howard asked a nurse.

They were directed to a large room with glass doors where they saw the two beds inside that carried Leonard and Sheldon. They were about to rush into the room when a nurse stopped them and told them to wait outside. Neither of them could think clearly, seeing their two best friends on the brink of death. Raj dropped down into a chair and just stared at them. Howard could barely speak. He tried to say something, but was speaking to no one in particular.

"Are-are they o-okay?" Howard's voice was quivering and his hands were shaking. "Please tell me they're going to be okay."

A doctor approached them and introduced himself as Dr. John Mark.

"Hello, are you Howard Wolowitz?"

Howard didn't stop staring at Leonard and Sheldon. "Yes, yes I am."

John looked over at Raj. "And you are?"

"Raj Koothrappali." He shook John's hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm the doctor who is monitoring Leonard and Sheldon."

Howard was trying to stay calm. "Are they okay?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know that right now. It appears that they both have serious injuries and they are both currently unconscious. We're going to test them for any other injuries and monitor them closely. I'm sorry I can't tell you more. I'll let you know if we find out anything else. Do you know if they have family around here?"

Howard could barely think. "Um, S-Sheldon's family is in Texas right now…and I d-don't know about Leonard's family. Do you want us to call Sheldon's family?"

"Yes, you should let them know what's happened and tell them to consider coming down here."

The doctor left, leaving Howard and Raj to call Sheldon's family. Howard took out his phone and Raj saw Howard's hand shaking as he dialed Sheldon's mom's number. The phone rang four times before it went to the answering machine.

Howard had no choice but to leave a message, his voice trembling. "Um, Mrs. Cooper, this is Howard, Sheldon's friend. If you get this message, please call me back as soon as possible. Something-something's happened to Sheldon."

Howard hung up and told Raj that she didn't pick up.

Raj swallowed hard. "Sh-should we call Penny? Maybe she can come too."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know they fought, but she should be here. Call her."

Howard dialed Penny's number, nervous that she would refuse to pick up her phone, or even worse, refuse to come down to the hospital.

Penny was about to take another bite of her food when her phone rang.

"Oh, god." She sighed, putting down her fork. "It better not be Leonard." She reluctantly took out her phone. "Howard Wolowitz" appeared on the screen. "Howard? What the hell is he doing calling me?"

"He's probably going to tell you to apologize to Leonard and Sheldon," replied Kurt.

Penny looked at him, and for a moment, thought he was right. But she shook that thought away.

"But he doesn't even know that we fought."

Kurt scoffed. "Oh please, you don't think those little nerds called their inner circle to tell them what happened?"

Penny's phone kept ringing and she looked at Kurt, then down at her phone. She reconsidered what Kurt said and put the phone back in her purse.

Howard got sent to her voicemail and immediately pressed the redial button.

"Please, Penny. You've _got_ to pick up."

Penny's phone started ringing again and she let out a heavy sigh. When she saw "Howard Wolowitz," she immediately shoved it back in her purse. Howard hit the redial button yet again. For the fourth time, Penny's phone interrupted their date.

Kurt stared at her, frustrated. "You've _got_ to turn that off."

Penny looked at him in disbelief. "Turn off my _cell phone_? I don't think so. Even if these guys keep calling me…"

She looked at her phone, half expecting to see "Leonard Hofstadter" or "Sheldon Cooper." But instead, she saw "Howard Wolowitz" again.

"Howard _again_? It's not like Howard to call me like this. Howard's not the type to be concerned with what happens between Leonard and Sheldon and me. Heck, he'd be happy if we fought. It would only mean one less obstacle for him…" Penny quickly shook the thought of Howard and her together. "Ew, okay." She started thinking of what Howard could possibly be calling her for. "Kurt, I'm sorry, but maybe I should take this call."

"Okay, but I'm warning you, it's a mistake."

Penny rolled her eyes. "Fine, when I hang up, you can tell me 'I told you so.'" She hit the accept button. "Howard, this better be important. And if you start flirting with me, I'm deleting you from my phonebook."

Howard's frantic voice came over the phone. "PENNY! Don't hang up, please. I-I-uh…"

Penny sensed urgency in Howard's voice. She immediately started getting concerned.

"Howard, what's going on?"

"S-something's happened to L-Leonard a-and Sheldon."

Penny's mood shifted entirely.

"W-what do you mean? What happened?"

Howard gulped. "They were in-in a car accident."

"Oh, god." Penny went silent. She felt as though someone tore her heart out of her chest. Tears were already forming in her eyes and rolling down her cheek. She tried to keep her composure and continued talking. "Ar-are they okay?"

"We don't know."

Penny sniffled. "Okay, Howard, I'll be right there. Where are they?"

"Huntington Hospital. …Thanks, Penny."

Penny gripped her phone and was now sobbing uncontrollably. She looked at Kurt, who had a confused look on his face.

"What?"

Penny took a deep breath. "I-I have to go."

"What, why? Don't go."

Penny started pleading, for no particular reason. "Please, I have to. Leonard and Sheldon were in an accident."

Kurt scoffed. "Oh, please. They're lying to you. Nothing's happened to them. They're just trying to take you away from me. Those nerds think they're smart doing this, but I know better."

Penny's mouth dropped open.

"How…how could you say that?" Penny considered, for a second, that Kurt was right. Until she heard Howard's voice again. She had never heard Howard sound so scared before. She knew right then that they weren't lying. "You jerk. Can't you, for once, consider how good these guys are to me? How can you be so inconsiderate?" _"Oh, god. What have I done?" thought Penny. "Leonard was right. He was right."_

Penny grabbed her purse and ran out of the door. She called for a taxi and jumped in, tears still streaming down her face.

"Huntington Hospital, please. As fast as you can."

* * *

Please keep reading, it makes me happy. And reviewing, of course. For those who think I'm going in the Sheldon/Penny direction (and would rather have Leonard/Penny), I encourage you to continue reading my story, because I won't reveal the real pairing until the end! You never know who I'm going to put together! And vice versa, for those who like Sheldon/Penny and think I'm going Leonard/Penny. And I haven't read many fan fictions on here, so if it sounds like I'm totally copying someone else's story, I apologize, I don't mean to. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4: Nearly Hopeless

Penny ran into the hospital, almost knocking people over.

She was yelling, "Leonard!! Sheldon!!"

Howard and Raj turned around, only to see a red-faced, puffy-eyed Penny looking like she was going to assault someone if she didn't get what she wanted.

Penny rushed up to the counter.

"Where's Leonard Hofstadter and Sheld—"

"Penny!" called Howard from behind her.

Penny turned around and saw Howard and Raj. She froze when she looked behind them, seeing Leonard and Sheldon on beds and a group of four or five nurses around the beds. They were covered by a curtain, but Penny could still see them. She felt her legs losing their strength and continued crying in the middle of the hospital. Howard walked over to Penny.

"Penny…"

She was almost hysterical. "_Why_?"

"Maybe you should come and sit down."

They walked over to where Raj was sitting and Penny put her head down on Raj's shoulder and continued sobbing. Raj froze and fell silent. He realized how distraught Penny must have been and slowly put his hand on her back, only to quickly pull his hand away when she started talking.

Penny picked her head up and stared at her two best friends in the room.

"Howard…what happened? Did they tell you what happened?"

"The police talked to us just before you came in. The other driver's completely unharmed and she said Leonard ran a red light and smashed into her car."

Penny thought about what could have made Leonard run a red light. He never broke the law and he was the best driver she ever met. She realized the only possible explanation was that he wasn't paying attention. He was thinking of something else, and it was obvious to her what was on his mind. She felt devastated.

"Why was Leonard driving? And why was Sheldon with him?"

"They were going to go to the comic book store. We thought it would make Leonard feel better after…you know."

The three of them sat in silence for the next hour, seeing nothing but a white curtain shielding Leonard and Sheldon from them. They occasionally saw one of them being wheeled out into another room and wheeled back in, but they never caught a glimpse of their face.

The doctor approached them to let them know how they were doing.

He looked over at Penny. "Hello, you are…?"

"Penny. Are you their doctor?" Her voice was nearly gone after sobbing for so long.

"Yes, I am. Are you related to either of them?"

"No, I'm just their friend."

"Well, we checked both of them thoroughly and Leonard has a concussion, three broken ribs, and is currently unconscious. Sheldon has a broken arm, a large cut on his forehead, and is also currently unconscious. Unfortunately, we don't know if they will be okay until later, or until they wake up." The doctor asked Penny, "Do you know if Leonard has family around here?"

"Sorry, no. I think they're back in New Jersey, but we aren't that familiar with his relatives." She paused and looked toward Leonard and Sheldon. "…Can we see them?"

"Sure."

The doctor led them into the room, a nurse brought over three chairs, and left them alone in the room.

Howard and Raj walked over to Leonard's bed as Penny stood next to Sheldon's bed. She saw the bandage covering his whole forehead and the cast wrapped around his arm. She started crying again.

"Why? S-Sheldon didn't do anything. This was never his fault. He didn't do anything, and now look."

Howard and Raj looked at Penny.

Howard was worried. "Ar-are you still mad at Leonard?"

Penny didn't stop looking at Sheldon. "Well, no, I guess. But Sheldon didn't do anything! I yelled at him and it wasn't even his fault. And the accident wasn't his fault either."

Howard felt his heart jump a little. _"Is she saying the accident was Leonard's fault?" thought Howard._ He took one look at Raj and knew he was thinking the exact same thing.

Penny realized that Howard and Raj have been at the hospital for hours.

She turned to them. "Howard, Raj, maybe you guys should go home. Get some rest, eat something. You've been here a really long time."

Howard shifted uneasily. "We can't possibly eat."

"Then just get some rest. Come back later. Please, I don't want you guys to stay here forever."

"What about you?"

"I already had lunch. You guys haven't. You need to eat. Now go."

They knew arguing with Penny wouldn't make things better. Howard and Raj slowly left the room, still staring at their friends.

Penny dragged a chair over and sat in between Leonard and Sheldon's beds. She faced Sheldon. She sat there for another few hours, just staring at them. Nurses had come in and out a few times, checking on Sheldon and Leonard, but most of the time, she was alone. The doctor came into the room and walked over to where Penny was sitting. Penny was staring at Sheldon and didn't notice that the doctor had come in.

"Penny?"

Penny looked up. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you come in."

"That's all right. I have some good news and bad news."

Penny's heart dropped when she heard "bad news."

"…bad news? Oh, god."

"The good news is Leonard's doing very well. He survived the concussion, which is very good. It seems like he's going to make a full recovery. We expect him to wake up very soon. But…"

Penny was hoping that Sheldon's name would come in during the good news, but instead got hit with the worst.

"Oh, no, no, no."

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't seem like Sheldon's doing very well. The cut in his forehead may have done something much worse than we expected. He hasn't gotten any better since he came in. …I don't think he's going to make it. I'm sorry."

Penny broke down crying and put her head down on Sheldon's arm. The doctor left the room.

"Oh, Sheldon, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I've been so mean to you. I didn't mean it when I yelled at you. Oh, please, please forgive me."

After another hour of pleading and asking for forgiveness from Sheldon, Penny drifted off to sleep on Sheldon's arm.


	5. Chapter 5: Wall of Denial

Penny woke up to find herself hugging Sheldon's arm and a blanket draped over her. She slowly sat up and saw balloons floating behind her. "Get Well Soon" was printed on both of the balloons. She looked at the card and saw Howard and Raj's names. She assumed that they must have come back to visit, but left when they saw her sleeping. A note was sitting next to the card, saying "We still can't get in touch with Sheldon's mom. We let the doctor know, and he said we'll deal with the family situation later. Howard/Raj"

She got up and looked at Leonard. She trusted the doctors and was sure that he was going to be fine. Penny looked back at Sheldon and started crying again. She couldn't even remember the last time she said something nice to Sheldon.

"I've got to stop crying," said Penny. "I can't imagine what I look like right now…I need to be strong for these guys."

She sat back down and kept staring at Sheldon.

"Sheldon? Sheldon…"

Leonard moved slightly and Penny heard the rustle of bed sheets behind her. She quickly turned around and saw Leonard's arm moving.

Penny's voice perked up slightly. "Leonard! You're okay…"

Leonard opened his eyes and started mumbling.

"Penny…?" Leonard's voice was weak and hoarse.

Penny sat there, her body still facing Sheldon.

"Oh, Leonard, I'm so glad you're awake."

Leonard turned his head to face Penny, but she was blurry. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and so badly wanted to see her clearly.

"I-Is Sheldon okay?" Leonard immediately asked.

"Sweetie, I'm afraid not. The doctors said he might not make it." She looked back at Sheldon. "It wasn't even his fault."

Leonard felt like a dagger was shoved into his chest. She didn't say it directly, but Leonard got the feeling that she was blaming Leonard for all of this.

"Penny, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I didn't mean anything I said."

Penny was reminded of what Leonard said in front of her apartment. She couldn't help but ask.

In a soft voice, she asked, "…then why did you say it?"

Leonard was slowly gaining his strength. "Penny…you have to understand. I didn't want Kurt to hurt you again. Penny, I care about you. I can't stand seeing you being mistreated by jerks. You deserve better than that. I don't care if you don't want to go out with me, I just don't want you to end up with someone who doesn't even l-love y-you."

Leonard struggled to say what he's wanted to say for a long time. Penny looked at him. She was touched by his words.

"What are you trying to say, Leonard?"

Leonard opened his mouth and took a deep breath. "I'm trying to say that…I…I…"

The monitor next to Sheldon beeped and interrupted Leonard. Penny turned around and looked at Sheldon.

"Sheldon?! Sheldon? Are you okay?" The monitor beeped again. "Sheldon! Am I getting through to him?"

Penny put her hand on Sheldon's shoulder and sat closer to him.

Leonard felt his heart drop. "Penny…I need to tell you something…"

The monitor beeped again.

"Shh, Leonard! I think I'm getting through to Sheldon!"

Leonard stared at Penny. Despite his vision being almost completely obscured, he could see a blurry Penny put her head down on Sheldon's chest. He bit his lip and couldn't seem to stop the tears forming in his eyes. Leonard didn't notice that he was suddenly crying behind Penny.

Through his tears, he managed to say, "Penny… I love you."

Penny heard Leonard, but ignored him. She closed her eyes and put her arms around Sheldon as the monitor beeped again.

"Oh, Sheldon, I hope you're getting better…"

Leonard's tears were soaking his pillow as he stared at Penny and Sheldon.

He whispered, "I really do love you."

Leonard stared at the two of them for hours, tears still rolling down his face, before drifting off to sleep. Penny had already fallen asleep, her arms still gripping Sheldon's body.

Howard and Raj had come into the room again, only to see all three of them asleep. They were delivered the good news of Leonard waking up, but were enveloped in gloom for Sheldon's life. Howard walked over and placed a blanket on Penny before they left the room.

Penny woke up to the sound of the glass door closing behind Howard and Raj and straightened herself in the chair next to Sheldon's bed. She heard the occasional beep of the monitor next to Sheldon and smiled, sensing that it was a good sign. Penny turned and looked at Leonard, who was still asleep, his head facing Penny. As glad as she was that Leonard was going to be okay, she couldn't help thinking that this was all Leonard's fault. It was his fault for saying those things about Penny, which started the fight in the first place. The car accident was his fault too, thought Penny. But this was her best friend. She couldn't stay mad at him. But she couldn't help it…she was about to lose her other best friend, because of Leonard.

Penny looked back at Sheldon and thought of all the times that Sheldon acted like a civil friend. He was a good friend, he just said the wrong things at the wrong time.

She remembered when he lent her money, or when he helped her start her own business, or when she took care of him when he was sick, or when she let him stay in her apartment when he was locked out of his own. As annoying as he was, she tolerated him. As much as he didn't like her, he still helped her in the way any friend would. Penny enjoyed his company and felt a little more protected when Sheldon was there. She smiled at Sheldon, but started crying after realizing that she won't have someone like Sheldon to help her out the way he always did.

…

Leonard woke up from a slight pain in his chest, which he assumed was from being heartbroken about Penny. He looked over at Penny and saw her crying again, with her hand on Sheldon's bed. He felt that same pain shoot through his chest. Only this time, it didn't feel right. Leonard shifted in his bed in an attempt to make the pain go away. He sensed something was wrong when he felt it again.

"Penny-y…" Leonard mumbled from behind Penny.

Penny turned around. "_What_?"

Leonard heard a sense of annoyance in Penny's voice when she turned around. He stared back at her, wondering why she would use such a tone with him, he had never heard her talk to him like that before. But his train of thought quickly left as he felt another sharp pain radiate through his body.

"I-I think I need help."

Penny sensed that her tone was a little harsh with Leonard and calmed herself before speaking again.

"Leonard, you're fine. The doctors said you're on your way to a full recovery. Right now, we should be concerned about Sheldon, his chances of surviving are very low."

Leonard was almost begging her for help. "But—I…something hurts."

"I'm sure it's not much. Maybe it's your broken ribs? They haven't fully healed yet."

"No, this is d-different." He felt it again. "I really think I need help."

Leonard reached over to push the button next to him to call for a nurse, but stopped suddenly when he felt his chest tighten. He gasped. It was like someone reached into his lungs and stole his breath. He struggled to breathe as the oxygen stats on his monitor plummeted. The monitor beeped rapidly and rang through Penny's ears like a fire alarm. She shot up out of her chair and ran over to his bed.

"LEONARD?!!"


	6. Chapter 6: Going in Reverse

I changed the dialogue format (thanks for the warning, Naraku's Phoenix). I'll have to change the rest of the chapters later, but I wanted to add another chapter because I haven't updated in a while. Sorry for the delay--I've been really busy lately. And thanks for all the reviews!! I'm hoping I can update faster now because I have a whole week off, so I'll work on this as much as I can. I hope I don't disappoint anyone, because I'd really love it if you keep reading! Thanks in advance :)

* * *

A group of nurses rushed into the room and surrounded Leonard's bed as another nurse asked Penny to leave the room. She pressed herself up against the door of the room as tears rolled down her face.

"N-no! …Leonard…" She felt her voice escaping her and could only manage a few gasps of tears. "What's happening?! Leonard, don't do this to me…you can't do this to me!"

Penny fell to her knees and placed her head on the glass door. The tears rolling down her face dripped onto the floor as she continued sobbing. For Penny, it felt like hours before the commotion in the room settled. She sat there, legs beneath her, her hands on the door, still crying. Even though she could see Leonard, she refused to pick up her head and look at him, worried that she would see something that would break her heart even further. The doctor walked out of the room and approached her. He patiently waited until Penny stood up to tell her what happened.

Penny didn't want to stand. She wanted to sit there because she felt that if she moved, something else would happen. But she had to stay strong, for Leonard and Sheldon. Penny moved her hands to the floor and pushed herself up, attempting to use her weak and shaking legs for support. She stared at the ground before looking up at the doctor.

The doctor stood there, staring at Penny with a solemn look on his face, before he spoke. "Leonard went into respiratory arrest. We had to intubate him…"

The doctor glanced at Leonard, prompting Penny look over at him too. She turned her head and saw Leonard lying there, a tube protruding from his mouth and connecting to a large machine.

"Oh my god…"

"His lungs aren't working properly right now, so we put him on a respirator to help. He can breathe now, but…"

Penny's heart dropped again. She started to cry again, fearing the worst.

Penny looked down. "No…not 'but.' I don't want to hear that."

"He was deprived of oxygen for so long that he…he's in a coma right now."

Penny just about collapsed. She would have fallen to the ground if she hadn't been leaning against the glass door for support. The doctor brought her over to the nearest chair and gave her a tissue. She was quiet for what seemed like days. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and looked back up at the doctor.

"H-he was going to be okay. Why? Why did this— You said he was going to be okay…"

"I'm sorry…we had no idea this was going to happen."

"Please, _please_, tell me he's going to be okay."

The doctor put his hand on her back, as if to protect her from the devastating news. "Right now…we think he has only a day or two left."

Penny could do nothing but cry, she was too heartbroken for any words to leave her mouth. The doctor gently hugged her before slowly standing up. He motioned to Penny to go into the room.

"Even if he can't talk, he shouldn't be alone right now."

Penny nodded and walked into the room as the doctor left.

She picked up the chair, and for the first time since she arrived at the hospital, she sat next to Leonard's bed. She sat and stared at him, and suddenly started sobbing again when she realized that she ignored him when Leonard told her he loved her.

"What have I done? I ignored him. He told me he _loved_ me and I ignored him. Oh my god, he loves me. He said it. All this time I've been worried about Sheldon because Leonard was getting better? What the hell is wrong with me?! I…I'm sorry, Leonard."

All she could hear was the raspy, wheezing sound of Leonard's breathing. Penny stared at Leonard. He didn't look like the Leonard she would always hug, the Leonard she would kiss on the cheek, the Leonard that was her best friend. She didn't like what she saw. She saw the Leonard with a tube in his mouth that was held in place by something that wrapped around his head. She saw someone in pain, someone who was dying.

Penny was afraid to touch Leonard. She was afraid because of what she had done to him. It was her fault she chose Kurt. It was her fault she yelled at him. It was her fault she ignored him and now he may never be able to see her again. She slowly picked up her hand and placed it on Leonard's bed. Her hands slowly moved closer to his arm. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and moved closer to him. Feeling the warmth of Leonard's hand, she placed her head on Leonard's stomach and closed her eyes.

Penny had slept all night with her head on Leonard's stomach and when she woke up, found herself refusing to move from her current position. She felt comfortable next to Leonard and thought that if she moved, she would lose him forever.

Finally, she slowly picked up her head and gripped Leonard's hand. Penny's heart had been broken a hundred times over since the day Howard called her. She couldn't take it if her best friends died. Penny had no idea what she was going to, or how she was going to handle the death of Leonard and Sheldon. Knowing that she caused Leonard and Sheldon's accident was enough to kill her soul forever. But being the cause of Leonard and Sheldon's death? Penny couldn't imagine what she would do. She closed her eyes.

"Penny."

That voice sounded familiar. But Penny's thoughts and feelings were so jumbled that she couldn't put it together.

"Penny."

Who was that?

"Penny."

She opened her eyes and looked at Leonard. His eyes were still closed and she still heard his rough, raspy breathing. She let go of Leonard's hand and slowly turned around.

Sheldon was staring at Penny, with a small smile on his face.

"Sheldon?"


	7. Chapter 7: Back to Square One

Again, thanks for the reviews everybody! I'm not happy with the beginning of this chapter, it feels a little lame for some reason. But I'm hoping the rest of the chapter makes up for that. Enjoy!

* * *

Penny got up out of her chair, now crying tears of joy for Sheldon.

"Sheldon…you're awake!"

"Yes, I am, but why are you crying?"

Penny sat on Sheldon's bed and hugged him. "I thought I was going to lose you."

Sheldon was confused. "Come again?"

Penny gripped his arm and looked down at him. "The doctor said you were going to die."

Sheldon froze. He looked around him, only to realize that he was in a hospital. He fell silent and tried to remember what happened. Sheldon looked down at the bed and slowly pieced together what happened that day. He remembered that he yelled at Penny.

"Penny…I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm sorry I made you mad."

"Sweetie, you have no idea how worried I was about you." Penny gently touched his cheek. "Don't worry about what happened. I'm just glad you're okay."

Sheldon saw the red light, Leonard in the car next to him, and he remembered. Sheldon's once bright and happy eyes turned to gloom when he looked behind Penny.

"Leonard?"

Penny saw the despair in Sheldon's eyes and held him tighter. Her tears of joy were gone when she realized she had to tell Sheldon about Leonard. But she couldn't. If Penny could barely take the news, how would Sheldon react?

In a small voice, Sheldon asked, "Is Leonard okay?"

Penny held Sheldon even tighter and closed her eyes as she prepared to tell him.

Her voice quivered. She opened her eyes and looked directly into Sheldon's eyes. "I'm afraid not. He woke up before you did, but he…he…he's in a coma right now. And the doctors told me that…" Penny stopped and held his hand. "He might not make it."

Sheldon's heart dropped. "What? No. That's not physically possible. Penny, I happen to know quite a bit about the human body despite being a physicist, and in my experience, doctors can be wrong. Leonard's strong! He'll make it!" Sheldon grew increasingly mad. "NO!! I refuse to believe them!" Sheldon looked at Leonard. "Leonard!!!"

"Sheldon…" Penny looked into Sheldon's eyes and saw the fear inside of him. In response, she hugged him and put her head next to his. "Sheldon, they said he only has about one or two days left."

Sheldon calmed down and looked at Penny with desperation. Quietly, he said, "But…but…Penny, I don't want another roommate. Leonard's perfect. Besides, I don't like change, you know that."

Penny looked at him with tears in her eyes. She sniffled. "I know, sweetie. I'm sorry."

Sheldon looked down, feeling a lump in his throat. He tried not to cry, but could not stop thinking that he could lose Leonard in this very room. Tears started rolling down his face. Sheldon's voice shook as he asked, "…who's going to take care of me?"

Penny rubbed his arm and tried to make him feel better. "It's going to be okay, sweetie." But she knew it wasn't. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. "We'll figure it out, Sheldon."

Penny got off Sheldon's bed and pulled the chair over next to his bed. She put her head down on his arm. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep again.

While Penny was sleeping, the doctor had come in to monitor Sheldon, after being alerted that he had woken up.

Sheldon couldn't sleep. He kept looking over at Leonard and down at Penny. He saw how peaceful Penny looked, sleeping on his arm. Her hair was messy, yet beautiful. Sheldon had never felt this way before. No one, besides Leonard, had ever cared for him so much. Sheldon was surprised at how much Penny cared for him. He felt, for the first time in a long time, grateful for Penny's generosity. His way of thanking her was a gentle pat on the head. "Thank you, Penny." He listened to Penny's gentle breathing and slowly drifted off to sleep.

…

Penny woke up a few hours later and sat up, still holding Sheldon's arm. She looked at him and she saw his kind face, enveloped in his peaceful sleeping. She smiled, remembering when she needed help one day and Sheldon helped her. She was low on money again and was behind on her bills. Penny didn't feel like asking Sheldon for more money, so she ended up working extra hours at the Cheesecake Factory. She was still low on money, even with the extra hours, so she did something unimaginable to her before. She cut back on food. Penny had skipped breakfast and lunch that day. As if things couldn't get worse, she locked herself out of her apartment. Penny went over to Leonard and Sheldon's apartment. "Sheldon, where's Leonard?"

Sheldon was eating some Thai food and watching an episode of Star Trek. With his eyes still glued to the TV, and still shoveling food into his mouth, he replied, "He went to pick up something in his office, why?"

"I locked myself out of my apartment. Do you have my spare key?"

Sheldon's eyes still didn't leave the TV. "In the bowl, next to the door."

"Thanks." Penny fished out the key from the bowl and just before she opened the door to leave, her stomach growled. Penny sighed. She put her hand to her stomach. She hadn't noticed that Sheldon turned off the TV.

Sheldon looked over to Penny with a confused look on his face. "What was that?"

Penny turned around, her face turning red with embarrassment. "My stomach…"

Sheldon paused for a few seconds as he put the pieces together. "Are you hungry or is food that you previously ate not digesting well?"

Penny stared at him. "…I'm hungry."

"Why? Haven't you eaten yet?"

"No…I haven't eaten at all today."

"But it's one o'clock."

"I realize that, Sheldon."

Sheldon stared at her. "Why haven't you eaten yet?"

Penny sighed. "Because I have no money. I'm working extra hours, but I was still low on money."

"So you decided to give up food?"

"…Yeah."

"Penny, do you realize that to survive, you are required to eat?"

Penny glared at Sheldon.

Sheldon looked down, avoiding her death glare. He looked at the food he was eating and looked back up at Penny. He held up the food he was holding. "Would you like some?"

Penny's glare quickly vanished. "Really?"

"Sure." He paused. "We have other food, if you don't want this…"

"No, no. That's fine." Penny smiled. "Thank you, Sheldon."

She walked over to the couch and sat next to Sheldon. He handed her the food and turned the TV back on. Penny smiled and ate as she watched the rest of Star Trek with Sheldon.

Penny gripped Sheldon's hand tighter and smiled at him. When he wasn't completely annoying with his condescension, he was a really good friend. Sheldon was helpful and kind, qualities that Penny often overlooked. She was glad to have a friend like Sheldon that she could go to for help.

The doctor walked into the room when he saw that Penny was awake.

"Hi, Penny. I have some news about Leonard and Sheldon. We've checked on Sheldon many times since he woke up, and it definitely looks like he's going to make a full recovery. He's gotten much better. Leonard, however…it doesn't seem like he's going to come out of the coma. He's gotten progressively worse and I think his time is up."

Penny started crying again. She knew that Leonard didn't have much time left, but she couldn't bear to hear it again.

The doctor left the room and Penny sat in her chair, her hands still holding Sheldon's arm. While Sheldon was sleeping, Penny constantly looked over Leonard. She couldn't possibly sleep again. She continued to hear the same words uttered to her when Leonard previously woke up. She felt more and more guilty that she ignored him simply because he was getting better. Deep down, she knew she wanted a life with Leonard. She believed that he was really the only one who cared about her. But ever since being hit with the news of Leonard's evident death, she had been reconsidering. She looked back at Sheldon. Penny got up out of her chair and moved closer to Sheldon. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. For the past hour, she had been thinking about what Sheldon had done for her. His kind gestures didn't stand out before, but they did now.

Penny sat back down and, for a second, glanced at Leonard. His time was nearly up.

Penny wanted to slow down time, just to keep Leonard in the room for a little longer, but she knew that it was no use. Just then, Leonard's vitals dropped and Penny was faced with that dreadful flat line on his monitor. She heard it again. That beeping ringing through her ears. She saw her entire life with Leonard flash in front of her in a mere ten seconds, from the moment they met to the argument in front of her apartment. She felt herself jump out of her chair, but she wasn't aware of anything she was doing.

Nurses had already surrounded Leonard's bed. Penny was on top of Sheldon's bed, holding Sheldon close. Sheldon had woken up to the commotion in the room. He woke up to find himself clinging to Penny and Penny clinging to Sheldon.

"Clear!" Penny closed her eyes. "Clear!" Sheldon frantically prayed for his friend. "Clear!" Penny covered her ears. "Clear!" Sheldon started crying. "Clear!" Penny and Sheldon held each other close.

It was like Penny had drifted in and out of consciousness. She didn't remember jumping onto Sheldon's bed. She didn't remember seeing the nurse pulling out paddles. She didn't remember the nurses trying to save her best friend.

She only heard herself screaming.

Penny opened her eyes, her tears making her vision blurry. Her voice gradually disappeared. She wanted to scream, but it was like someone stole her voice. She was whispering instead. She heard "Clear!" for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Sheldon was gripping Penny's arm. He was wailing like a child. But he didn't care. He was screaming to Leonard, hoping his voice would bring Leonard back. His voice soon disappeared. He heard "Clear!" for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Penny held her breath, and heard the doctor's voice. Sheldon held his breath and heard the doctor's voice.

"Time of death…"

Penny found her voice. Sheldon found his voice. They both screamed. "NO!! LEONARD!!"


	8. Chapter 8: Her Final Decision

I don't own Big Bang Theory or any of these characters.

Last chapter, everybody. Penny makes her decision! I hope I don't disappoint anyone…

And yeah, this chapter is very long. I ended up extending the story within the story (you'll find out what I'm talking about) by adding a lot of detail. Sorry it took a while to update; I had a lot of things to cover and there wasn't a good place to split the chapter. I know there are probably a million more plot holes that I never got to; I apologize ahead of time for that. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

* * *

Penny continued to scream Leonard's name. She was about ready to collapse.

The nurse holding the paddles looked at Penny and Sheldon. She saw how much Sheldon cared for this man. For a majority of the time Penny was in the hospital, the nurse witnessed Penny curled up next to Sheldon. But what she saw now, in front of her, was that Penny needed Leonard. She saw how much Penny and Sheldon needed Leonard to survive.

The nurse locked eyes with the doctor. The doctor looked up from his watch and knew exactly what the nurse was thinking. He paused before officially calling time of death.

For one last time, the nurse put the paddles to Leonard's chest. "Clear!" A second nurse put her hand to Leonard's neck. "We got a pulse!" A weak pulse. But it was still a pulse. Penny froze at the words coming from the nurse.

Penny steadied herself against Sheldon's body. Sheldon was still holding her, but he had weakened his grip. Penny could hardly take it anymore. What else could possibly happen?

The doctor had told Penny and Sheldon what just happened. Penny was nodding, but heard nothing. She was hoping Sheldon was listening. All she heard was her heart beating. Sheldon zoned out; he couldn't stop staring at Leonard. He was hoping that Penny had gathered the information from the doctor.

The doctor told Penny and Sheldon that it was almost a miracle that he managed to survive after going into cardiac arrest. Although it seemed hopeful that Leonard survived that one moment, it was doubtful he would survive another heart failure. They had estimated he had 12 hours left.

When the doctor and nurses left the room, Penny and Sheldon were enveloped in silence for the thousandth time. Penny got off Sheldon's bed and rolled up into a ball in the chair next to his bed. She didn't want to talk. But neither did Sheldon. Sheldon's gaze had dropped to his bed sheets. He stared at nothing, a million thoughts going through his head. But none of them seemed to make any sense. Penny had closed her eyes, trying so hard to keep tears from coming again. Sheldon gently laid his head down on his pillow and unknowingly drifted to sleep, but not before stealing another glance of Leonard in the other bed.

Penny was listening to the steady but raspy breathing of Leonard while her eyes were closed. But she opened her eyes when she heard Sheldon's slow breathing. She saw Sheldon peacefully asleep once again. Penny gently patted his hand, quietly got up, and placed the chair next to Leonard's bed. By now, Penny was so afraid to touch Leonard. It's not that she didn't want to; it was that she thought he was too fragile under her hands. But after a moment of staring at him, she ran her fingers down his arm and gently squeezed his hand.

Penny's mind eventually took her away from where she was right now, to a time when Leonard tried to help her. He may have failed miserably in helping her, but she couldn't blame him…

It was a dim and foggy day, and Penny groaned at the alarm clock, dreading the day of work ahead. The clock read 7:00 AM, but Penny was too comfortable in her current position to move anywhere. As she drifted to sleep again, the snooze function on her alarm clock screeched at her, making Penny bolt up and nearly destroy her alarm clock. She put her head in her hands and slowly got up out of bed. Her hair was a total mess, her clothes wrinkled and wonky from tossing and turning in her sleep, and she had bags under her eyes. She walked right past the bathroom and into the kitchen. She didn't care what she looked like, she needed coffee. Penny stumbled into the counter and opened the cabinet.

"Oh, _crap_." She was out of coffee. Penny groaned. "Oh, this is going to be a day of hell." Penny grabbed a coffee mug from the counter. She didn't bother putting on a robe as she walked through Leonard and Sheldon's apartment.

The apartment looked empty. The lights were off and the room was dark, except for the ray of sunlight shining through the fog. Penny glanced over at Leonard's desk. His cell phone was still there, so he had to be in the apartment.

Leonard was in his bedroom, fast asleep, as was Sheldon. It was their day off and Leonard had turned off his alarm clock so he could sleep in. Sheldon had stayed up so late the night before that he didn't bother waking up early to watch _Doctor Who_. It was a repeat anyway, reasoned Sheldon.

Leonard was curled up under his bed sheets, his curly hair poking out from under the blue blanket. His glasses were on the ground; Leonard had tossed around so much in his sleep, he accidentally knocked them off his nightstand.

Penny, in the other room, was gripping her glass mug, and was about ready to fall asleep again. She desperately needed coffee. "Leonard!"

Leonard turned over at the sound of his name, but was so tired he didn't realize who was calling his name. He was sound asleep again within seconds.

Penny waited before sighing in frustration. She didn't want to move, it felt like miles to walk over to his bedroom and wake him up. Instead, she sat on the wood floor next to Leonard's desk and screamed his name again. "LEONARD!!"

Leonard turned over again, but this time, succeeded in ramming his head into the headboard. "_Ow_."

He finally woke up and looked at his alarm clock. He could barely make out the blurry numbers, but assumed the time was 7:15. He rubbed his head as he sat up. He heard something.

"LEONARRRD!!"

Penny. How long had she been calling his name? He bolted out of bed and ran to the door, only to smash into his bedroom door with a bang.

Penny stopped silent when she heard the bang from Leonard's room. She couldn't help but smile when she heard the faint "Ow…" from Leonard.

Leonard held his head in his hands and walked over to his nightstand, in search of his glasses. He felt around the surface of the table, almost knocking over the lamp. "Where the hell are my glasses?"

He could barely see anything in the dark, much less with his nearsighted vision. He gave up and slowly walked out of his bedroom. He was wearing his typical white t-shirt, boxers, and socks, and the pain from running into his door distracted him from putting on a robe before walking outside. Penny started laughing when she saw Leonard emerge from the hallway, his body pressed up against the wall, trying to keep himself from running into anything. Leonard glared at the pink blurry blob that he assumed was Penny.

"Shut up."

Penny stopped laughing because she felt bad for him, but continued to grin, knowing that Leonard couldn't see her grin unless he was pressed up against her face.

"Where are your glasses? Did you smash them when you ran into your door?" Penny stifled a laugh.

Leonard stopped in the middle of the hallway, afraid to move any further, remembering the step at the end of the hallway, which he knew he would trip over. But he glared at the pink blob again, realizing that she was probably still laughing at him.

"No. I didn't have my glasses on when I…ran into the door." Penny giggled again. "Stop it. It's not funny. I don't know where my glasses are. Can you help me?"

Penny got up off the ground and walked into the hallway. She stood facing Leonard for a second, grinning.

Leonard stared at her. "Are you grinning?"

Penny smiled even more. "No."

Leonard knew she was lying, but let it go. "Well, all right. Help me, please."

Penny took Leonard's arm and slid her hand into his. Leonard's heart skipped a beat and he started breathing faster. Penny smiled at Leonard's nervousness and guided him into his room.

"Now…where did you put your glasses last night?"

Leonard nervously pointed at his nightstand. Penny grinned again and let go of Leonard's hand, she had to stop teasing him; she needed to get to work soon anyway. Leonard breathed a sigh of relief when she let go of his hand, which made Penny giggle softly. She walked over to his nightstand and was about to search around when something on the ground caught her eye. She picked up his glasses and waved it in front of her.

Leonard squinted. "They were on the ground?"

Penny put her hand on her hip. "You loser," she said jokingly. She walked over to Leonard and put his glasses in his hand.

"Thanks, Penny." He put them on and looked at Penny. He gasped quietly.

Penny heard his gasp and looked down at her clothes. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I look like a total mess, huh?"

Leonard continued to stare at her. "No…uh…" He stopped. _"You look absolutely stunning. So beautiful…you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met," thought Leonard._ Penny looked at him in confusion. He cleared his throat. "So, uh…what—what did you need?"

Penny barely smiled at him, and Leonard knew that she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Right, um, I need coffee. I'm out." She held up her coffee mug.

Leonard panicked. He had turned off the automatic setting on the coffeemaker because he knew he was going to wake up late and decided to make coffee later. "Oh…uh, I didn't…make coffee yet."

"I thought you always had it on."

"Yes, but I turned it off last night because I was planning on sleeping in."

Penny looked disappointed, but put a smile on anyway.

"Oh, that's okay then. I'll just buy some coffee on my way to work."

Penny turned to walk out of his bedroom, but Leonard grabbed her arm and tried to turn her around. "Wait, Penny."

She turned to face him. He immediately let go of her arm and started fidgeting with his hands. "I'll make some coffee for you. There's no need to waste money elsewhere."

"But it's only a few dollars, Leonard."

"Which you could use to buy something else. Don't worry, it won't take long." Leonard edged past Penny and into the kitchen.

She followed him. "Leonard, it's really okay. Just go back to sleep, I can buy coffee."

Leonard was already preparing coffee when Penny got to the kitchen. She felt bad that she had woken him up, and now she was making him prepare coffee for her.

"Leonard…"

"It's okay, Penny. Just sit for a second. It'll be done soon. You'd be surprised at how fast our coffeemaker is."

Penny smiled at the speed of Leonard's movements around the coffeemaker. She sat down on the stool in the kitchen and just stared at the back of his head. Leonard turned around and looked directly at her. Penny quickly looked down and blushed, embarrassed that she was caught staring at him.

Leonard didn't think anything of it; he just blinked innocently at her. They were quiet for a few seconds before Leonard decided to speak up.

"So…" Penny looked up. He cleared his throat again. "Uhh…how are you?"

Penny started laughing a little, but stopped herself before she made Leonard feel like a total moron.

"I'm good," replied Penny. They were silent again. "Oh, um, how come you don't have work today? And where's Dr. Whackadoodle?"

Leonard chuckled. "Today's Saturday."

Penny looked up and thought for a second. She felt stupid that she hadn't realized it was Saturday.

"And Sheldon's still sleeping. He was up until two in the morning last night playing Halo with Howard and Raj. I got bored of their screaming threats when it hit midnight and decided to go to sleep." Penny nodded knowingly. "And today's a repeat of _Doctor Who,_ so Sheldon figured he could just sleep in today."

"Ah. I see."

Leonard continued the conversation. "Why are you up so early?"

"Oh, I decided to take a few extra hours today, since I missed work yesterday."

"Oh."

Just then, the coffeemaker buzzed. Penny held up her coffee mug and Leonard took it from her. He wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing; he felt so nervous that he was actually having a nice conversation with Penny. He wanted to keep her there, but at the same time, rushed to get Penny her coffee. He was moving so fast he hadn't realized he was pouring coffee on his hand until it hit him.

"Leonard, careful!"

"Ow!!"

Leonard dropped her mug on the counter, spilling coffee everywhere. He was shaking his hand frantically and hopping around the kitchen.

Penny was trying to stop him, but at the same time, was trying to dodge his flailing arm. "Leonard! Stop!" She grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down, but he was still wincing in pain. Penny had pushed Leonard up against the counter, and stood in front of him, her back against his stomach. She gripped his wrist to get a better look at his hand, but avoided touching his burned hand in fear of inflicting more pain. "Oh, sweetie, your hand is seriously burned."

Leonard was still hopping around despite being under Penny's powerful grip, saying "ow" over and over again. His hand was throbbing, painful blisters already forming on his hand. He squeaked, "I'm okay." He hadn't realized, under all the pain, that Penny was standing with her body up against him to keep him from moving.

Penny moved away from Leonard and let go of his hand, which Leonard immediately started shaking again. "No, you are not, Leonard. That's a really bad burn; you need to go to the emergency room."

Leonard flinched at the sound of "emergency room," as it immediately brought to mind: needles. "No, no, really, I'm okay. It doesn't look that bad."

"Leonard. Emergency room. Now."

"Really, Penny, I'm _fine_."

He was about to pour Penny another cup of coffee when she stood in front of him, blocking his path. She pushed him up against the counter again, this time, with her hand on his chest. Leonard stopped cold. His heart beat faster and faster. He saw Penny smile seductively…or so he thought. In response, he blinked a few times, thinking the pain was making him go crazy.

"Leonard Hofstadter…"

Leonard held his breath at the sound of Penny saying his name, but his heart continued to beat faster and faster. His mouth was slightly open. Her eyes never left his eyes and his never left hers.

Penny continued to watch Leonard's every move. She felt his heart pulsate through his shirt and continued to keep her hand on his chest. She moved closer and closer, until her face was literally an inch away from his face. She gently breathed onto his lips. "You are going to the emergency room. With me. Got it?" She ran her hand down his chest before slowly pulling it away.

Leonard was sweating and gulped a few times before saying something. His voice cracked as he said, "Okay."

Penny smiled and backed up. "Thank you." Her voice went from serious (and in Leonard's ears, seductive) to happy and cheery. "Now you have to put on some clothes."

Leonard was still up against the counter, his left hand held out in front him. Penny stared at him and he stared at her for a few seconds before he moved toward his bedroom. Did that just happen? Did Penny just…? Leonard could only assume that it was all some weird hallucination.

"Do you need any help?" chirped Penny, from behind Leonard.

He turned around so fast he nearly tripped over his own two feet. "I—uh, I—uh…" He was surprised he could even say anything.

Penny raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay…I'll take that as a 'yes.'" She walked past Leonard, brushing up against his arm, and into his bedroom.

Leonard stood there in the hallway for a second, frozen. He leaned against the wall, trying to gather himself. He must have been seeing things. Surely Penny didn't smile at him like that…

"Leonard? Where are you?"

He heard Penny start to walk back out into the hallway, so he quickly stood upright.

"Are you okay, Leonard?"

Leonard was looking at her funny. She was acting as if she hadn't smiled at him seductively, as if she hadn't pushed her hand up against his chest, as if she hadn't been an inch away from his face. He concluded that he was finally going crazy. None of that ever happened; it was just the pain messing with his mind. He calmed down after assuring himself he was just seeing things. "I'm fine." He walked into his bedroom.

Penny grinned at him and followed Leonard into his room.

Leonard opened his closet and grabbed the first thing he saw. He tossed a pair of pants and a t-shirt onto his bed.

Penny put her hands on her hips and shook her head as she saw the clothes he was tossing out from his closet.

Leonard saw her shaking her head. "What?"

She looked at him. "Seriously?"

"What? What's wrong with this?"

Penny raised her eyebrows. She walked over to his closet and pulled out a different t-shirt.

Leonard looked at her. "What's the difference?" Penny gave him the death glare and he let it go.

She took off his glasses and put it on the bed behind him. Leonard stood frozen again, when Penny started taking off his shirt.

Penny looked at him. "Come on, Leonard. Now's not the time to get all nervous on me. You need to get to the hospital." Leonard still couldn't move. "_Leonard_." Penny glared at him. "Leonard, I can't dress you by myself. I need a little help here."

Leonard gulped and tried to take off his shirt as Penny helped him. He pulled his right arm out as Penny held the shirt. She unintentionally put her hand to his bare chest as she tried pulling his shirt over his head. Leonard jumped. "Leonard! Don't do that!" Leonard's head was stuck in his shirt. His voice was muffled as he said, "Sorry."

"It's okay…I guess it's partly my fault. I didn't mean to…you know."

His voice was squeaky again. "No, no. It's just…your…hand was…cold." Penny could easily tell he was lying.

She rolled her eyes and yanked his shirt off his head. His left arm was still in the shirt and he looked at her, worried. His hand was shaking even more, as the pain had gotten much worse. "It's okay, Leonard. Just calm down. Try to keep your hand from shaking." Leonard suppressed his pain as much as he could as Penny gently pulled the shirt over his hand. He winced and was biting his lip to keep from screaming out loud. The pain was making him dizzy.

Penny tossed his shirt on the bed and grabbed his other t-shirt. She put it over his head as Leonard pulled it over his head with his uninjured hand. He pulled his right arm through and was immediately reluctant to put the other arm through, after remembering the unimaginable pain the first time. Penny smiled in an attempt to make him feel better, although it didn't really help. She gently held his wrist and was pulling the shirt open so his hand wouldn't touch it. At the same time, Leonard was trying to close his hand so he wouldn't hit the cloth. They both failed. Leonard screamed out in pain, which made Penny jump back from Leonard and she accidentally let go of the shirt. Leonard knew the pain wouldn't get any better, so he shoved his hand through the sleeve. The immense pain made him fall to the floor. He was on his knees, breathing hard, but his hand was successfully through the shirt.

Penny dropped to her knees next to Leonard. "Are you okay?"

Leonard was shaking, but he tried to smile. "We're halfway done." Penny smiled at him as she put her hands on his shoulders. Leonard cocked his head to one side. "Why did we have to change my shirt?"

Penny blinked a few times, her mouth open. They both broke out in nervous laughter at the unnecessary difficulty they just experienced.

Penny looked at his hand, and saw that the blisters were getting worse. "We should hurry."

"Okay, just give me a second." Leonard leaned against the bed and rested his head on the side of the bed. He closed his eyes.

Penny looked at him with concern. "What's wrong?"

Leonard could barely move. He felt dehydrated and nauseous. "I feel like throwing up. And my hand really hurts."

Penny stood up. "Come here."

Leonard opened his eyes and saw Penny holding out her hand. He grabbed it and picked himself up with Penny's support. She led him out of his bedroom.

"Penny, what are you doing?"

She tugged him into the bathroom and held his wrist. Penny turned on the sink and ran her hand under the water until it was cold enough.

She pulled his hand to the sink and Leonard immediately pulled back. "Ahh…I don't—"

He managed to get away from her grip and backed up into the wall.

Penny put her hand on her hip, in that same way she always did. When Leonard didn't move, she glared at him. "It'll make you feel better, trust me."

Leonard wanted to trust her, but was still reluctant. He felt an odd and sudden pain shoot through his hand and up his arm. In response, he darted to the toilet and threw up. Penny knelt down next to him and rubbed his back. His hand was shaking and he was feeling even worse than ever. She let out a sympathetic sigh and stood up. "I'll be right back."

Penny walked to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. Leonard was mentally kicking himself and silently cursing for looking like a total idiot in front of Penny. Penny walked back into the bathroom and got down on her knees again. She tore off a few sheets of toilet paper and wiped his mouth while still rubbing his back. Leonard was surprised at what Penny was doing for him right now. Leonard suddenly felt warm and fuzzy inside. Is this what it feels like to have someone that cares? No one had ever taken care of him like this before. His mother would either stick electrodes to his head or spray him with disinfectant. Sheldon would avoid him altogether. He was in an unbelievable amount of pain, but at the moment, he was happy.

Penny gave him a small smile. "Are you okay?"

Leonard had always seen Penny as a best friend and a beautiful girl that he would never get. But now, for the first time, he saw someone who genuinely cared about him. Leonard didn't want to say anything. He just wanted to look into the eyes of this amazing person. He wanted her. But the sound of Penny's voice broke his concentration.

"Leonard…? You okay?"

He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Thanks."

Penny helped Leonard stand up and she moved him toward the sink again. She felt Leonard start to move away from her grip.

"Leonard, come _on_."

He was feeling so sick and dizzy, that he succumbed to Penny's demands. He walked toward the sink and held out his hand. Penny smiled and gently held his wrist as she slowly put his hand under the water. Leonard cringed for the first few seconds, but immediately felt the pain subside. He felt the nausea and dizziness go away. "Thanks Penny…again."

Penny turned off the water and started to lead him back to his room. Leonard's hand started burning again. She felt his hand shaking. "Come on, we'll get your pants on and head to the hospital."

Leonard sat on his bed and Penny picked up his pants. He glanced over at his clock and saw that the time was only 7:40. But it felt like hours had gone by. Penny was on the ground next to the bed and had picked up one of Leonard's legs, like she was dressing a little kid. She pulled his leg through and Leonard was using his right hand to tug on his pants. Within seconds, they had successfully gotten both his legs through. Leonard stood up with his pants halfway on and sheepishly looked at Penny. She looked back up at him and almost started laughing at the look on his face.

Leonard started backing away from her. "I…think I can do the rest myself."

She moved toward him. "Don't be silly, Leonard."

She pulled his pants up and her hands ended up around his waist. Leonard tried to avoid Penny's eyes. He had turned bright red, breathing even harder than ever. She held her hands around his waist for a few seconds and looked up at him. Leonard saw her seductive smile again. Or did he? _"The pain's making me delirious," thought Leonard._ But he couldn't stop these thoughts that, out of nowhere, made him feel…aroused. Penny stayed there, on the ground, hands around Leonard's waist, just staring up at him. It was like she was unwilling to let go. Or was she? She was about to zip up his pants when he jumped back. Penny started laughing.

Leonard turned around and pulled the zipper up. He tried to dismiss his embarrassment. "Shut up. You can't blame me. It was getting a little…personal."

Penny stood up and watched him as he tried to button his pants with one hand. He sighed in frustration. "Forget it. Let's go."

He walked toward the door but stopped suddenly when he felt Penny's hands around his waist again. She grabbed him from behind, turned him around, and shoved him up against the wall next to the door. Penny swiftly brought her hands down to his pants and buttoned them, her eyes not once leaving Leonard's eyes. Was that her smile _again_?

Penny continued to stare into his eyes for a few seconds before speaking again. "Let's go!" Penny chirped.

She walked out of the door. Leonard felt frozen again for about a minute, but made himself walk out of his bedroom. He could barely put one foot in front of the other. "I think I'm going _insane_," whispered Leonard. But Leonard didn't know that Penny heard what he just said.

Penny looked back at Leonard and smiled, seeing him struggle to walk. "I'm going to go change really fast, okay?"

Leonard nodded quickly as she ran out of the apartment and into hers, leaving both doors open. He grabbed his keys from the bowl next to the door and walked out of his apartment. Before closing the door, he wondered how none of this woke up Sheldon. He quickly dismissed the thought when he felt another sharp pain in his hand and gently closed the door. He turned around to see if Penny was ready yet and was surprised to find her directly behind him. He jumped backwards and hit the apartment door with a small yelp.

"Oh! Sorry, Leonard. I didn't mean to scare you. Come on, we have to go."

She grabbed his arm and they rushed down the stairs and into Penny's car.

Leonard just remembered something. "Wait, Penny, what about your work?"

"Leonard, that's the last thing you need to worry about right now. I can take another day off, it's okay. Besides, your hand is going to get infected if you don't get it treated." She saw Leonard nodding and they made their way to the emergency room.

The doctor informed Penny and Leonard that he had a second-degree burn on his hand, and would need to wear a bandage for the next two weeks or so. The nurses had given him painkillers, which instantly made Leonard feel significantly better. The painkillers made him lightheaded and he almost fell over the second they stepped out of the doctor's office. Penny was forced to support a majority of his body weight as they walked out to the car. Leonard had his arm wrapped over Penny's shoulders and Penny was holding him with both arms. Despite Leonard tripping over the stairs of the hospital three different times, Penny managed to get Leonard safely into the passenger's seat of her car without doing anymore damage.

In the car, Leonard had been drunkenly babbling on about how funny his head and hand felt. He would turn his head and stare at Penny with a huge smile on his face every other minute. Penny smiled back at him each time. After ten minutes in the car, Leonard started feeling carsick. The traffic jam didn't help at all. That constant starting and stopping was even making Penny feel sick. Leonard didn't want to say anything. He felt embarrassed enough about making her take care of him, when all she wanted was a cup of coffee that morning. He didn't want to get anymore difficult for her.

The traffic was driving Penny crazy. She dreaded having to brake after moving only three inches. But she was more worried about being sick in front of Leonard. She couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be if she threw up in front of Leonard. Until she suddenly realized Leonard's carsickness. She promptly looked at him and saw him looking like he was going to be sick. "Leonard, are you okay?"

He struggled to speak. "I'm fine, why?"

The moment he opened his mouth, she knew that he needed to get out of the car, and fast. "No you're not. We got to stop someplace."

"How? We're stuck in the middle of nowh—." He stopped, putting his hand to his mouth.

"Leonard!"

He stuck his head out the window and gagged a few times before throwing up what was left inside of him. Penny rubbed his back and tried not to make eye contact with any of the other vehicles around them.

Leonard leaned back in his seat and wiped his mouth. "Just when I thought I couldn't look anymore stupid…"

"Leonard, stop. Are you okay?"

"Great! I enjoy being humiliated in the middle of traffic." His voice was getting shaky, and he felt like throwing up again.

Penny looked at him, worried. Leonard leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to make myself sleep. It usually helps whenever I'm carsick."

After a few minutes of Leonard tossing around and taking deep breaths, he was asleep. Penny occupied herself in the traffic by listening to his calm, slow breathing.

When they arrived at their apartment, Penny turned off the ignition and turned to Leonard. She was about to wake him up, but stopped. He looked so peaceful. She didn't want to disturb that peace. Penny sat there, in the car, just staring at Leonard. She watched his calm breathing, his chest rising and dropping with every breath. She freaked out for a second when his chest dropped and didn't rise again. He wasn't breathing.

"Leonard?" Penny said softly.

She was about to shake him awake, screaming his name, until she remembered why he wasn't breathing.

"Oh, that's right," whispered Penny. "…his sleep apnea."

But it still scared her, seeing Leonard suddenly not breathing. Within seconds, he gasped and took a deep breath. She let out a sigh of relief. She continued to sit in her car and watch him. He breathed in and out, clutching his bandaged hand. After another ten minutes of watching Leonard sleep, Penny gently shook his shoulder. "Leonard, wake up."

Leonard stirred and opened his eyes. He glanced out the window and over at Penny. "Are we home?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, sweetie."

Leonard sluggishly walked up the four flights of stairs, leaning his arm over Penny's shoulders for support. He felt so tired he unknowingly rested his head against Penny's head while they were walking up the stairs. Penny didn't say anything; she only smiled and in response, leaned her head against his.

When they got to Leonard's bedroom, Leonard crawled under the blankets and before drifting off to sleep, gratefully smiled at Penny. "Penny, I can't thank you enough. This is going to sound cheesy, but no one has ever cared for me like you did today. I really appreciate it…"

With that, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep before Penny could say anything else to him.

She stared at him for a few seconds, deeply touched by what he just said. She felt tears forming in her eyes. "Leonard, honey, that's not cheesy at all. Thank you for being so considerate."

Penny gave Leonard one final hug and a kiss on his forehead before leaving his bedroom. She walked out of the apartment, happier than she had ever been in a long time.

She loosened her grip on Leonard's hand and looked down. She saw the scar on his left hand that the burn made. She looked at his face and saw the same face she saw in the car that very day he burned his hand. She saw the same peaceful, sleeping face. Penny was in denial. She wanted to believe that he was just sleeping. That when she woke him up, he would wake up and say the same thing, "Are we home?" She wanted so badly to hear him say that and tell him, "Yes, sweetie." She wanted this nightmare to be over. She couldn't take it anymore. She slowly picked up her hand and shook Leonard's shoulder. He wouldn't respond. A nurse was about to go into their room to check up on Leonard and Sheldon, but stopped when she saw Penny talking to Leonard.

"Leonard…wake up. Come home…_please_. Leonard…"

She knew she had to say it. She _wanted_ to say it. But her heart ached to say the words, because she had a sinking feeling that he would never hear her. That he would never hear the words he's wanted to hear all his life.

In a small voice, she whispered, "I love you too, Leonard."

She rested her head on his stomach, once again, struggling to stay awake; she didn't want to sleep in fear that she would never see him again. But she couldn't stop her eyes from closing and she drifted into a deep sleep.

Penny dreamed about being with Leonard. She saw him in her dream, as handsome as he always had been. She smiled at him, sliding her arms under his arms and gently kissing him on his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his arms wrap around her back, hugging her tightly. Penny felt Leonard's hand gently stroke her hair. But something felt different…what was it? She couldn't figure it out. He continued stroking her hair. Something was unusual, something out of place, something that didn't belong. Was it Leonard? It couldn't be; she had never felt more comfortable with Leonard than during this very moment. It must be something else. That "something" was pulling her away from her dream. It was pulling her away from Leonard. She heard something. Someone was breathing, but it sounded off. It sounded…rough and raspy.

Leonard was shaking in his bed. His breathing still irregular and raspy. He looked down at Penny, who was sleeping, her head on his stomach. His hand was stroking her hair.

Penny stirred. As she awoke, she still felt someone stroking her hair. It took a few seconds for her to realize that the person stroking her hair wasn't in her dream. She realized it was this "something" that felt different. Her heart beat faster and faster as she slowly opened her eyes. Leonard was staring down at her, his hand still on her head, fingers combing through her shiny blond hair. She let out a small gasp, not believing what she was seeing right now. Is he with her now? Her Leonard? Is this a dream? After being silent and staring at him for what seemed like hours, she spoke up.

"L-Leonard?"

Leonard looked at her with the kindest eyes, attempting to smile with the tube in his mouth.

"Oh my God, Leonard. Please tell me this isn't a dream."

She started to cry, hoping that what she saw in front of her was in fact, real. She was afraid it wasn't; but Penny saw a certain warmth and humanity in Leonard's eyes that made her think otherwise.

Leonard grabbed her hand and squeezed it, his other hand wiping tears away from her face. His hand was soft against her rosy cheeks. She took in the warmth radiating from Leonard's hand. That's when she knew this wasn't a dream. Leonard was there. Penny cried even harder, but for the first time in a long time, she was crying tears of pure joy.

Leonard wanted to say something. He wanted to tell Penny one more time that he loved her. He wanted her to hear. He groaned, attempting to speak, his voice shallow and soft through the tube in his mouth, but Penny put her hand to his cheek and stopped him. "Don't talk, sweetie."

She held Leonard's hand to her chest, and Leonard felt her heart beating rapidly. She sniffled and cried, and after taking a deep breath, almost yelled through her tears, "I love you, Leonard. I love you, I really do."

Leonard felt himself start to cry. Tears were rolling down his face, and Penny could see him smiling. His hand tightened around Penny's hand. He couldn't talk, but Penny knew exactly how he felt.

Leonard turned his head and looked at Sheldon, who was still sleeping. Leonard didn't know how Sheldon was doing and assumed the worst. Penny saw Leonard looking at him.

"Leonard, Sheldon's okay. He's going to be fine."

He looked back at Penny, his eyes smiling at her.

"Do you want me to wake him up?"

Leonard was reluctant at first; he didn't want to wake his friend up, he wanted Sheldon to rest. But he badly longed to see his best friend again. He slowly nodded.

Penny let go of Leonard's hand and walked over to Sheldon's bed. She gently shook Sheldon, who woke up immediately. At first he looked confused, wondering why Penny woke him up. What was going on? But she smiled at him and pointed to Leonard. Sheldon turned to look at his friend and his mouth dropped, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Leonard?"

"_Hey, buddy," thought Leonard._

Sheldon stared into Leonard's eyes, deciphering what his friend was trying to say to him. "Buddy…" And Leonard smiled. Because Sheldon knew. "You're okay?"

Sheldon had a shaky smile on, feeling a million waves of relief going over him.

The same nurse that brought Leonard back from the brink of death had glanced through the glass window to Leonard and Sheldon's room. She saw Leonard awake, and rushed inside. Penny heard the door open and glanced behind her, smiling happily at the nurse. "Is he going to be okay?"

The nurse was smiling, and Penny knew. She paged the doctor, who came in shortly after. The doctor and two other nurses had spent the next twenty minutes around Leonard's bed. Penny was sitting off to the side, still holding Leonard's hand. Sheldon couldn't stop smiling, because he was confident that Leonard was going to be okay. The doctor checked his vitals three times, confirming Leonard's condition with each of the nurses.

When the doctor was done, the nurses left the room and looked up at Penny. He had a smile on, which made Penny even happier than ever.

"Is he okay?"

The doctor smiled. Leonard was looking back and forth between Penny and the doctor.

"This is really a miracle."

Penny squealed softly, kissing Leonard's hand.

The doctor ripped out a piece of paper from his notepad and gave it and a pen to Leonard. "How are you feeling?"

Leonard's hand was shaking, but he brought it to the paper and drew a small happy face on it. Penny giggled and smiled at Leonard.

"That's good. We're going to keep a close watch on you for the next few days, but everything looks great so far. It's really remarkable."

He gave one last smile to Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon before leaving the room.

Over the next few days, the three of them had spent hours each day talking to each other, Leonard writing what he wanted to say on a small whiteboard each time. Leonard had gotten his strength back and became as lively as he always had been before the accident. Ever since Leonard woke up, Penny had been smiling the entire time. She finally saw the person she wanted to see after so long. She saw the same Leonard that was her best friend, the same Leonard she loved. Howard and Raj had been given the good news, and Sheldon's mom was called. Penny had asked Leonard a few times about how they could contact his family, but Leonard always looked down, and drew little squiggly lines on his whiteboard. Penny got the idea that he didn't want his family to see him, so she let it go after the third time.

But the only problem was Leonard's breathing. It didn't seem to change. He was still breathing irregularly, occasionally feeling small shooting pains in his chest. They had asked the doctor about it several times, but got the same answer each time, "Be patient…" The answer seemed confident, but the look on the doctor's face had a hint of worry. Penny was concerned that Leonard's lungs wouldn't heal, but Leonard drew her a happy face each time, bringing a smile to Penny and Sheldon's faces.

Howard and Raj hadn't seen Leonard since he woke up because they were always busy at work or otherwise preoccupied. But Penny got a call from them saying that they could finally come to see him. Leonard was excited to see them and had been drawing on his whiteboard all day. Penny had no idea what he was possibly drawing on his whiteboard, but smiled at his concentration. When they finally arrived at the hospital, Leonard welcomed them with an elaborately drawn "Hello," which immediately made everyone laugh.

The whole gang was together again, each of them talking randomly, Raj conveying his words through Howard, and Leonard writing on his whiteboard. Howard and Raj would not stop glancing over at Leonard. They were happy to see their old friend, but something was missing. Was it his irregular breathing, restricting his ability to speak? Was it the multiple machines surrounding him and seemingly sucking his soul away? Was it some sense of despair in his eyes, worried that he would never be able to breathe regularly again? They didn't know. And neither did Penny or Sheldon. Leonard seemed to be his old self, but with a missing variable. Or some paradoxical equation with an undefined solution. Although their conversations sounded like the ones they would always have around the coffee table in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, Penny, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj were worried about that missing Leonard-variable, feeling that there was something strangely awry. Every now and then, in the middle of their conversations, either Howard, Raj, Penny, or Sheldon, would ask if Leonard was okay. He would respond each time, with an "I'm fine." After the tenth time of being asked that same question, Leonard looked at each of them. He saw that his friends were worried about him, but he had no idea why. He felt great, the inability to breathe aside.

"Why are you guys asking, what's going on?" Leonard wrote.

They were all silent for a moment, each pondering what to say. The four of them looked at each other, back and forth, until Penny decided to say something.

"Leonard, sweetie, we're concerned about…" She looked at Howard, Raj, and Sheldon. "Your breathing hasn't gotten any better, and we're very concerned."

Leonard nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't think of anything to say. Truthfully, he was just as concerned as the rest of them. But he wanted to stay optimistic. Finally, he wrote, "Have a little faith."

After another few hours of talking, Leonard told Howard, Raj, and Penny to go home. Leonard didn't want them to leave, but he made them go. He saw that Penny's clothes hadn't changed since the day he woke up the first time, and didn't want to know how long she had been in the hospital without a shower or a change of clothes. He assumed she hadn't showered in days, but she still smelled amazing, to Leonard. Howard and Raj left, but Penny stayed in the room. She didn't want to leave. What if something happened to Leonard and she wasn't there? She couldn't bear never seeing him again.

"GO," Leonard wrote on his whiteboard. "And don't come back until you get some proper rest."

"I don't want to leave you," pleaded Penny.

But Penny couldn't resist Leonard's puppy-dog eyes and caved in. "Okay," Penny said reluctantly.

She hugged Leonard and kissed him on his cheek. Then she walked over to Sheldon and hugged him. Penny was about to walk out of the room, but couldn't help but take one last look at Leonard. She ran back to his bed and kissed him again. With that, she made herself leave and not look back.

Sheldon and Leonard were staring at each other. Sheldon couldn't stop himself from smiling, which made Leonard smile in return.

"I-I'm very happy you're okay, Leonard."

Leonard wrote, "I'm happy to see you, Sheldon."

Sheldon had to ask.

"I'm not usually one to concern myself with your love life. Or relationships in general, but, I couldn't help but notice a very obvious 'spark,' as the kids say, between you and Penny." He paused. "You love her, don't you?"

Leonard was touched. He started getting emotional. Sheldon never talked this way to him before. He never mentioned romantic relationships of any kind, even though Sheldon was fully aware of Leonard's love for Penny. Does Sheldon finally understand? Leonard replied to Sheldon's question with a slow nod and a slight smile.

Sheldon grinned back. "Good. Because I heard Penny say she loves you. And I know she meant it. Leonard…would you do me a favor?"

Leonard looked into Sheldon's eyes.

"For my best friend? Anything," Leonard wrote on his board.

"Don't ever let her go. You deserve her."

Leonard gave him a nod, and Sheldon nodded back.

…

Penny was back at the hospital within twenty minutes. She changed her clothes and took a two minute shower, and was back in Leonard and Sheldon's room with soaking wet hair. Leonard took one look at her and smiled at her appearance.

"Why are you back so early?" asked Leonard.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't be away for so long!" Leonard teasingly rolled his eyes at her.

Penny smiled at Sheldon, and Sheldon smiled back. She walked over to Leonard and planted a kiss on his forehead. They stared into each other's eyes until Penny spoke.

"Leonard, Sheldon, you guys should rest. It's late."

"What about you?" asked Sheldon.

"I'll stay here and rest, it'll be fine."

Penny pulled the chair closer to Leonard's bed. By then, Sheldon was already asleep. Leonard smiled at Sheldon, then held Penny's hand. He quickly fell asleep, feeling the warmth of her hand. She wrapped her other hand around his arm and rested her head on his stomach.

In the middle of the night, Leonard woke up to an odd change in his breathing. For some reason, it didn't feel right. He started panicking, fearing the worst. Leonard gently squeezed Penny's hand. She didn't respond. He squeezed harder. Penny let out a small sigh, but was still asleep. Leonard's breathing got short and choppy. What was going on? He softly shook Penny's shoulder and she groaned and opened her eyes.

"Leonard? What's going on? Are you okay?"

She paused and listened. His breathing sounded different, and it scared her. The look on Leonard's face scared her even more. "S-Should I get the doctor?"

Leonard didn't have time to respond. He started choking, and Penny immediately darted out of the room and yelled for help. She had an uneasy feeling the moment she woke up, and now she feared for Leonard's life.

"_How could this be happening? Haven't I been through enough?!" thought Penny. "Please don't take my Leonard!"_

The doctor rushed into the room, followed by a panic-stricken Penny. She was so scared, she felt like screaming at the top of her lungs. Sheldon had woken up to Penny's screaming and was freaking out. But Sheldon seemed to be calmer than before. He seemed to know, deep down, that nothing was going to take Leonard away from him or Penny. But he couldn't understand why he felt this way.

Penny was crying, but stopped suddenly when she saw the doctor smile slightly. She was baffled as to _why_ he was smiling. Her Leonard was _choking_, and he was _smiling_? She wanted to scream at the doctor, but stopped. He obviously knew something she didn't.

Through her tears, Penny asked, "What's going on?"

The doctor removed the strap around Leonard's head that was holding the tube in place and said, "This is good news." Penny immediately brightened. "He's breathing on his own now, so choking is normal."

Penny was quiet, but mouthed, "Oh, thank God." She was smiling, as was Sheldon.

The doctor slowly and gently pulled the respirator out of Leonard's mouth and he stopped choking. Leonard took a few deep breaths, feeling relieved that he was okay, and looked to Penny.

His voice was still slightly hoarse and quiet, but he managed to say, "I-I love you, Penny."

Penny was smiling so much she couldn't feel her face anymore. She screamed out, "I love you, Leonard!"

She embraced him in a warm and loving hug as Leonard wrapped his arms around her. He didn't want to let go.

Sheldon looked over at Leonard and Penny. He saw it. That special spark between them. And he smiled. His friend finally got the girl of his dreams and Sheldon couldn't be happier. "Leonard?"

Leonard looked over at Sheldon. All Sheldon had to do was smile at him. And Leonard knew. "Thanks, buddy."

Sheldon moved his gaze to Penny. "Penny." She looked at Sheldon. "Congratulations. You couldn't end up with anyone better."

Leonard and Penny smiled at Sheldon before looking into each other's eyes. Penny bent down and kissed Leonard, her hands wrapped around his head. This was the beginning of something amazing for Leonard and Penny, and they both knew it.

* * *

Well, that's it. I apologize for those who wanted her to pick Sheldon, I had to put her with Leonard! Leonard's been fighting for her since the moment they met. I can't stand to see Leonard heartbroken, let alone _write_ him heartbroken.

Oh, and I'm sorry if that little Leonard/Penny coffee story started sounding like "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency." That was completely unintentional! I hadn't realized it started to sound like the episode until I got to Leonard's closet. I wasn't even thinking of the episode while I was writing that story, I wasn't trying to copy it.

I hope you enjoyed the story and thanks for reading!


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